Oscar Pistorius cemented his status as the icon of the London Paralympics by winning gold in the final track event in the Olympic Stadium.
As for the star of the games, however, look no further than British wheelchair racer David Weir.
The man nicknamed the “Weirwolf of London” has become a household name in the host nation by triumphing in the 800m, 1,500m and 5,000m over the past week.
Photo: Reuters
And he completed his clean sweep of golds yesterday, timing his sprint finish to perfection to win the wheelchair marathon in blazing sunshine along the streets of the capital in 1 hour, 30 minutes, 20 seconds.
Thousands of spectators lined the route of the marathon to cheer on the 33-year-old Weir, who was competing in his home city nearly five months after winning the London Marathon for the sixth time.
“It’s just amazing, I am lost for words,” Weir said. “I knew I had to be in some sort of super-human state to win four gold medals and I’ve done it.”
Pistorius’ resounding victory in the 400m on Saturday earned the competition’s poster boy his second gold medal of the Games, adding to a victory in the 4x100m relay in a week when he surrendered his 100m and 200m titles.
The South African double amputee is the world’s most famous Paralympian, transcending the world of disabled sport and this summer becoming the first athlete to take part in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Yet, he has been overshadowed in London by Weir, whose displays at the Olympic Stadium have been greeted by a so-called “Wall of Sound” from fans down the home straight. Many teammates also took to a ritual of howling as he crossed the line, in reference to his new moniker.
“To tell you the truth, every race I did in that stadium, I didn’t feel under pressure because the crowd was behind you if you won, lost or anything,” said Weir, whose image has adorned billboards throughout the Paralympics. “It didn’t matter what position you came in, they were still behind you and they still loved you.”
Weir, who along with swimmer Ellie Simmonds and cyclist Sarah Storey is the host country’s most famous current Paralympian, was the favorite for the marathon and was among a group of six racers that broke away early as the field sped past a host of London landmarks, including St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.
As the finish line came into sight, Weir was battling with Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Kurt Fearnley of Australia for gold, and the Briton pulled away to win by a second in a season’s best time.
“I did have lots of dreams of winning four gold medals, but I think everybody has those dreams,” Weir said. “I knew I was capable of doing it.”
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
After Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday pitched five hitless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Rafael Marchon hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off Blake Treinen with two outs in the ninth inning for a 9-6 win. Brandon Marsh had a two-run homer and Max Kepler added a solo shot in a six-run sixth for Philadelphia. Ohtani’s 50th homer leading off the eighth helped the Dodgers tie the game 6-6. The Phillies erased a 4-0 deficit against Justin Wrobleski in another stunning collapse by the Dodgers bullpen. Philadelphia rallied for four runs in the seventh and eighth innings and another in the
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
RSS